


Stolen Kisses and Dark Alleyways

by pinto_bean13



Category: South Park
Genre: Drama, Drug Abuse, Drug Use, F/M, Gen, High School, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:20:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21562888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinto_bean13/pseuds/pinto_bean13
Summary: How do Kenny and Wendy overcome being in a secret relationship, Wendy's long term relationship with Stan, and being high school seniors?
Relationships: Kenny McCormick/Wendy Testaburger, Stan Marsh/Wendy Testaburger
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is my first time ever publishing a fanfiction, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. This is just the first chapter, and I hope there will be many more to come!
> 
> Please be gentle, because as I said this is my first time ever publishing for strangers.

Kenny sighed as he took another drag off his cigarette, his ice blue eyes darting around trying to adjust to the darkness in the alley. She was supposed to meet him at 10:30; it was now 10:47.

His blond eyebrows furrowed and he flicked his cigarette butt to the ground, pushing his lanky body off the alley wall as he did so. Suddenly a sharp hiss sounded through the previously still air. "Kenny!" He turned around and smiled as a figure emerged from the darkness.

"You're late, Testaburger. I was about ready to just leave," he said coyly.

Wendy scrunched her nose up and gave him a soft punch on the arm. "You know it's not as easy for me to sneak out. My dad didn't fall asleep until like, ten minutes ago," she said, nervously tugging on the hem of her light pink coat.

Kenny smiled again and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. She sighed as he pulled away, and he took a good look at her.

She'd moved away from the dark purples she loved so much in middle school, now preferring pastel pinks and black. Her shiny black hair was a heavy curtain down to the middle of her back because she refused to ever cut more than an inch off. Her long slender legs were covered in fitting black leggings and a black miniskirt that stopped mid thigh, and to top her look off was a black beanie with a pink pompom.

Wendy flushed as she noticed him staring at her. "Why are you looking at me like that, you creep?" she giggled, and gave him another soft punch to the arm.

He rolled his eyes at her and scoffed. "You know as well as I do that if I looked at you any other time, Stan would kick my ass."

Her dark eyes fell and Kenny instantly regretted saying Stan's name. He knew how badly it was hurting her to be with both of them, and even though it had been his idea to keep the two of them a secret, it was eating at him too.

He gently wrapped his fingers around her elbow and pulled her into his chest, smiling softly to himself when he felt her arms wrap around him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and went to kiss the top of her head again. Before he could make contact, she threw her head back and crashed her lips onto his. His eyes widened with shock, then slowly closed when he felt her playful smile on his mouth.

They stood like that for a few seconds, then Wendy slowly pulled away. "I should get going," she murmured, "I've got a test in Mrs. Anderson's class in the morning."

Kenny nodded and bent down, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She turned around towards the way she came and he watched as she disappeared into the night. Then he pulled out his pack of cigarettes, lit one, and turned around to head toward his own house.

***

As soon as Kenny stepped over the train tracks to the bad side of town, he knew it was going to be another long night. The sound of his parents screaming at each other carried through the cold air, and he just sighed as he picked up his pace.

He could feel his hands tightening into fists in his parka's pockets with every step he took. As the rundown house came into sight, he thought to himself, ' _Hopefully Karen's at a friend's house tonight. She wouldn't have been able to deal with this on her own..'_

He stepped up to the door and took a deep breath, bracing himself. Just as he reached his hand out to grab the doorknob, the heavy wood was flung open and he was suddenly face to face with his dad.

"Do you have any fucking idea what time it is, boy?!" His dad screamed, his mustached face getting red. Kenny could smell the beer and tobacco on his breath, and he took a small step back to escape from it. "Don't just stand there like an idiot, say something!" his dad yelled, closing the distance between him and his son. The blond opened his mouth to try and come up with an answer, but before he could say anything a half full beer can went flying past his head and another voice came screeching out from behind his dad.

"Don't you fucking yell at him, Stuart! Move your ass and let him come inside!"

Kenny watched his dad's face twist up as he moved out of the doorway for his son to enter the house. Kenny waited to move until his dad blinked and broke eye contact, then stepped through the door.

His mom came out of the kitchen with another beer in her hand and Kenny tensed, ready to dodge another can to his face if he had to. Instead, Carol McCormick brought this one up to her mouth and took a deep sip of it.

Kenny looked around the small living room, taking note of the new holes in the drywall. A few new bloodstains accompanied the holes, left by the maker's knuckles. Finally he looked at his mom. Her lip was busted open, her red hair a mess, and the knuckles on the hand holding the beer can were dark purple and the skin was broken.

"Now, Kenny, would you like to explain where you were at such a late hour?" she asked, placing her empty hand on her hip. Her words were shaky and slightly slurred together.

"Dammit, answer your mother, Kenny! Don't make us ask you again!" Staurt said loudly from beside the door. Kenny glanced over at him; he was sporting a black eye that Kenny hadn't noticed before.

He looked back at his mom and took a deep breath. "I couldn't sleep so I took a walk. Where's Karen? I'd like to say goodnight to her," he said, trying to keep his voice calm and neutral.

"Fuckin' bullshit, couldn't sleep! Where the fuck were you?" his dad yelled, he face once again getting red.

Carol whipped her hand off her hip and jabbed her finger in Staurt's direction, screaming "I said stop fucking yelling at him you asshole!"

Once again, Kenny's parents began screaming at each other, his mom's fresh beer can went flying, and Kenny silently snuck down the hall towards his sister's room.

He slowly opened the door, and released a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Karen's bed was empty, along with their older brother's. Letting himself relax, Kenny yawned and closed the door back, and kept going down the hall towards his own bedroom. He peeled off his parka and blue jeans, removing his phone as he went.

'Hey K, stay at your friend's house for the next couple of days. It's bad again. Let me know if you need anything.'

He pushed the send button, then promptly fell into bed and passed out, the sounds of screaming and thuds lulling him to sleep.

***

A loud buzzing snapped Kenny out of his restless sleep. Groaning, he reached under his pillow for his phone and dismissed his alarm. He rolled over on his back and stared at his dull grey ceiling, noting how silent the house was. His parents must have fallen asleep once the sun started peeking over the Colorado mountains.

Another buzz from his phone made him blink and he rolled to his side to look at the text.

'Dude, where are you? We're gonna be late!'

Kenny groaned again as he finally noticed the time. He'd slept through his first alarm.

'Sorry, man. Be there in five.'

He hit send and two seconds later, another buzz.

'K'

He sat up and stretched, then flung his thin blanket off his body and stood out of bed. He grabbed his blue jeans off the floor and pulled them on, then quickly rummaged through his drawers for a shirt. Finally he found a faded, almost illegible band tee he'd bought at the thrift store and pulled it over his head, then looked around his tiny bedroom for his parka.

When he found it, he picked it up and looked at it. It was almost identical to the one he'd worn from kindergarten all the way til the eighth grade. That was the year he had finally hit his growth spurt and his parents were forced to buy him new clothes. The puffy orange material was darker than the old neon one, and the fur lining was grey instead of brown. Eighth grade was also the year he decided to stop pulling his hood over his face, so he had completely cut the hood off.

His phone buzzed again in his pocket, snapping him out of his thoughts. He frantically shrugged into the parka and slid his black converse on as he rushed out and into the bathroom to quickly brush his teeth, and then ran out of the house. He only paused long enough to make sure he didn't slam the door, then he took off towards the train tracks and didn't stop until he reached Stan's house.

The other three boys were already in Stan's dark blue truck when Kenny ran up the driveway, panting. The winter air had completely destroyed his lungs as he ran.

"Hurry up, Kenny, you poor asshole!" Cartman yelled from his window. He was wedged into the back seat behind Kyle, who was in the passenger seat. Kenny rounded the truck and flung the door behind Stan open and clambered into his seat, slamming the door behind him when he was fully inside.

Stan gave him a sharp look in the rearview mirror, his dark blue eyes narrowed. "You don't have to slam the door, dude," he said, his deep voice steely.

Kenny gave him an apologetic half smile, still panting from running in the cold. Stan rolled his eyes and pulled the truck out of the driveway and began the drive to the high school.

"Jeeze, Kenny, do you need a cough drop or something?" Kyle turned around in his seat, looking worried. Before Kenny could answer, Kyle had reached into his red jacket pocket and pulled out some cherry cough drops.

Cartman snickered at Kyle's outstretched hand as Kenny gratefully took one and popped it in his mouth. "Leave it to a fucking Jew to carry cough drops!" he said loudly, shoving the back of Kyle's seat.

Kyle just rolled his eyes and turned back in his seat as Stan quickly turned the music up to prevent Cartman from saying anything else.

The rest of the drive was uneventful, and Kenny just watched the small town's buildings pass through the window. Kyle and Stan murmured to each other in the front, and Cartman played games on his phone. Every once in a while Kenny would hear Stan say Wendy's name, and a small pang of guilt would tug at his heart. All Kenny could think of was the pain in Wendy's eyes the night before.

Finally they pulled into South Park High's parking lot and the boys climbed out of the truck. Kenny stretched his arms up over his head, trying to hide the fact that he was looking around for a specific car. After a second, he found it; a small yellow Beetle, with it's owner's slender body leaning against it.

Wendy was wearing the same pink coat from the night before, but with dark blue jeans instead of the leggings and skirt. She hadn't noticed them pull up, and was engaged in a heated looking discussion with her blonde frizzy haired best friend.

"Kenny! Did you hear me?"

Kyle's voice sounded right behind Kenny's left shoulder, making him jump and spin around. The red headed boy was giving him an odd look, curiosity burning behind his dark green eyes.

Kenny smiled sheepishly and ran his fingers through his messy blond hair. "Sorry, must still be asleep. What's up?" he asked, and let out a small sigh of relief when the curiosity faded out of Kyle's eyes and was replaced with bright enthusiasm.

"I asked if you were still gonna come with me and Stan to the new arcade bar tonight! This is the only night we can go, 'cause it only allows in underaged people on Fridays."

Kenny felt the blood rush to his cheeks. He had completely forgotten about their plans, and after the way his parents acted last night, there was no way they would lend him the money.

"I-I dunno, dude," he sputtered, looking away from Kyle's excited face, "I mean, I have homework to catch up on, and my parents were fighting again last-"

"Your parents fight all the fucking time, Kenny. That's no excuse. Just say you're too poor to go."

Cartman sidled up next to Kenny, effectively stopping Kenny's excuses. He placed a thick arm around Kenny's shoulders, even though he had to strain to do so since the blond was at least a half foot taller than him. Kenny felt his cheeks get hotter as Cartman laughed.

"That's it, isn't it? You don't have the money?" Cartman snickered, trying to pull the blond down towards him.

"Dammit Cartman, leave him alone."

Kenny looked up to see Stan walking back towards the group, a dark scowl clouding his handsome face. Wendy was next to him, holding his hand. Her normally fair cheeks turned a light shade of pink when she and Kenny made eye contact, and he quickly looked away as he pushed Cartman's arm off his shoulders.

Stan let go of Wendy's hand as he stepped up to Cartman and glared down at the overweight teen. "What did I tell you about that teasing shit, man?" Stan asked him through gritted teeth. Cartman rolled his eyes and put his hands up, feigning defeat. "I'm sorry, Kenny," he said sarcastically.

Stan's eyes narrowed and Kenny watched as one of his hands balled into a fist. Knowing all too well how this would turn out, Kenny lunged forward between the two boys before Stan could throw a punch. He saw Kyle and Wendy's eyes widen as they simultaneously realised what was happening, and they both grabbed each of Stan's shoulders and pulled him backward.

Luckily, the high school's bell chimed at that moment, seemingly snapping Stan out of his rage. He blinked a couple times, his face getting pale, and shook his head. Wendy grabbed his hand again and went to her tiptoes, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. Stan murmured a soft "Sorry.." and Wendy pulled him towards the building.

Kenny watched them walk away, a small twitch of jealousy squirming in his stomach, then turned around to face Cartman. The brunet was pale and slightly shaking. Kenny sighed, "We've told you what happens when you push Stan too far, Eric." Cartman looked up at the blond and shrugged, trying to act tough, but Kenny could still see the fear in his brown eyes.

Kyle cleared his throat, clearing the tension. "We should probably get to class. I'll see you in History, Kenny," he said shakily, and quickly took off behind Stan and Wendy.

Cartman laughed as Kenny rolled his eyes, and they both started walking as the second bell rang, effectively marking them both late for class.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

The final bell rang as Kenny swung open his locker and let out a large yawn. It had been an exhausting day, and he was ready to escape the building for the weekend.

As he was neatly stacking his books in the cramped locker, a few soft giggles sounded behind him. His eyes involuntarily rolled as he placed the last book and slammed the metal door shut. Reluctantly, he turned around to face two girls, their heads ducked together as they whispered.

He bit back a groan when he saw the neatly folded paper in the shorter girl's hand. After a second, they both realized he had turned around and flushed deeply, more giggles escaping their overly glossed lips.

"H-hi Kenny! We got asked to give this to you!" the taller squeaked, and the short one thrust her hands out.

The blond's eyes rolled again. Every week it seemed to be the same thing. At first he had felt bad about constantly rejecting them and had even gone on a few dates, but after a while it started to get tiring.

"We're not in elementary school anymore. Why do people insist on writing notes?" Kenny snapped, then immediately regretted his tone of voice when the girls faces fell.

Softer, but still annoyed, he said, "Give it here," and held out his hand.

The girls lit back up and the note girl quickly dropped the paper in his hand. Squealing, they both took off down the hallway, more than likely to tell the writer of the note that the deed was done.

Kenny shook his head after them and shoved the note into his pocket, embarrassment creeping into the color on his cheeks.

"You could at least read it, you know, instead of ignoring it," a stern voice said sharply behind him, making him jump.

Before he could turn around, Bebe Stevens walked in front of him and gave him a hard, disapproving look.

Kenny quickly brought his hands up in defense, stammering as he did, "It's not like I-I enjoy it or anything, they just...they won't leave me alone!"

The frizzy haired girl just folded her arms over her chest and pointedly looked at his pocket.

 _'She's really gonna make me open it in front of her,'_ Kenny thought to himself incredulously, his eyes widening in shock.

Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the note as Wendy's best friend watched with cold hazel eyes. He unfolded the note with slightly shaky fingers, and silently read it to himself, inwardly cringing at the pledge of love. Once he finished, he glanced back up at Bebe. She had a small smirk forming on her lips.

"Happy now?" he asked as he folded the note back up and shoved it back into his pocket. Her smirk widened into an almost evil looking grin.

"Very," she purred, "I'll be sure to let Wendy know about this little exchange." With that, she turned away with a toss of her blonde hair and went off down the hall.

Kenny froze.

What was that supposed to mean?

Did she know about him and Wendy?

His breath caught in his throat as he whipped out his phone, but before he could pull up his texts Stan started calling.

Reluctantly, Kenny swiped the green dot to answer.

"H-hullo?" he said, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and tried to calm his breathing.

Stan's angry voice sounded loudly through the speaker, "Dude, where the hell are you? Classes ended like half an hour ago!"

"Sorry, sorry. I got caught up at my locker again by more girls with a note. I'll be right out."

"Hurry up!" Stan snapped, and the soft end call tone beeped in Kenny's ear.

He sighed and slid his phone back in his pocket and quickly walked towards the back of the school. A small group of girls started whispering to each other as they passed, and he recognized the two who had given him the note. Silently, he cursed their bad timing and sped up as he headed for the exit.

***

The afternoon sun burned the blond's eyes as he pushed open the heavy school doors to the parking lot. Stan had pulled his truck up to the sidewalk, and Kenny avoided his friend's scowl as he jogged to the back door.

Cartman let out a loud snort as Kenny slid in beside him, his chubby face stretched into a wide grin.

"More freshman tryna get a piece of ya?" the brunet tittered, and Kenny sighed.

"I dunno if they were freshman or not. But of course Bebe saw the whole thing, so I'm sure I'm gonna get shit for it on Monday," he groaned.

Kyle turned a bit to face Kenny. The same odd look from that morning was etched on his face, and Kenny felt his own face twist to give him a confused look.

"Why would Bebe give you shit about that? She should know better than anyone how the girls fawn over you," Kyle questioned, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

Kenny felt some of the color drain from his cheeks. He quickly glanced out the window, intensely looking at the passing buildings as he stammered for an answer.

"We-well you know...Remember last year? I'm sure she's still upset about how I turned her down, or something...You guys remember how badly she took it!"

Kenny held his breath and looked back at Kyle. The redhead's brows pulled together even more, and he opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Cartman suddenly bursting into laughter.

"Oh my god, you guys, that was so fucking funny! Remember the stupid look on her face after Kenny straight up told her 'Hell no!' after she read him that stupid love poem? What a bitch!" Cartman cackled, almost doubled over in his seat.

Kenny let out the breath he was holding as he watched Cartman gasp for air. Luckily for him, it seemed as though Cartman's laughing fit made Kyle forget his question. The look he had been giving Kenny melted into a look of pure disgust as he leaned around his seat to look at Carmtan.

"That's not how it happened, fatass, and you know it!" Kyle snapped, but he only made Cartman laugh harder and he began to slap the empty space between himself and Kenny.

Kenny slumped back into his own seat and closed his eyes as Kyle began to berate Cartman. He couldn't help but feel grateful for the interruption, but the feeling didn't last long. The guilt of lying to his friends slowly slid down his throat and settled into the bottom of his stomach like a heavy, slimy snake.

Finally, Stan pulled into the driveway at the Marsh house and parked. Kenny opened his eyes and put his hand on the door handle, watching Stan get out of the truck through the window. He had been silent the whole ride home.

Kenny swung his door open. "Hey man, sorry for being late so much today," he said as he hopped out.

Stan's eyes shot up to meet Kenny's, then quickly looked away towards the green house. After a couple seconds, Stan sighed and turned back to the blond.

"You have it so easy, Kenny."

Kenny's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but before he could ask anything Kyle came around the truck, waving.

"Bye guys. I'm gonna start on my bio project before we go to the arcade later," he paused for a second before looking at Kenny, "Oh, and if you need the money to go, just let me know, okay?" After Kenny gave him a small nod, he walked back around the truck towards his house.

Cartman yelled behind them, "Bye assholes!" as he walked the other direction.

The remaining two teens gave him a halfhearted wave, then turned back to face each other.

Kenny hesitated a moment, but after a few seconds of tense silence he finally asked, "What do you mean, I have it easy? I have what easy?"

The corners of his mouth twitched downwards as he watched the mixed emotions on Stan's face.

Stan shrugged and looked up at the pale blue sky. He stood like that for what felt like an eternity as Kenny just watched him, and he didn't move until the blond impatiently cleared his throat. He briefly glanced back at Kenny before shrugging again, finally sighing, "I dunno. I guess I'm just jealous."

Kenny blinked a couple times in shock as Stan leaned back onto his truck.

"You have all these hot ass girls falling all over you, but you stay single. I dunno..." Stan paused and looked down at his hands as if the words he was looking for were written on them. "..I wish I could be like that," he said softly.

An awkward laugh burst out of Kenny's throat.

"Dude, what? You're the captain of the football team, with the hottest girl in the school and the head cheerleader as your girlfriend. You guys have been together forever! Why would you wanna trade that for my life?" Kenny blurted out. His words made the snake in his stomach squirm, but he ignored it, "You don't know what you're saying, Stan. You and Wendy were meant for each other."

Stan just held his hands up and pushed off the truck, turning towards the house. As he sauntered up the driveway, he called over his shoulder, "Seriously though, if you don't have the money for tonight, let me or Kyle know. Later dude."

Kenny just watched as the door shut behind him. His head was swimming, and he had no idea where that conversation had come from. As if to rid Stan's strange words from his mind, he shook his head before walking down the driveway towards the train tracks.

He pulled out his phone and a cigarette, lighting it before he checked the small screen. The new message icon flashed, and he groaned. His weird exchange with Stan had made him forget all about what happened with Bebe. As he swiped open his phone, he mentally crossed his fingers that the text wasn't from her or Wendy.

'I'm staying at Brit's house for the weekend. Stay safe. Love u.'

Kenny's shoulders loosened as read the message from his little sister. Smiling, he sent back an 'ok' and put the phone back in his pocket. At least one thing was going normally today. Then he sighed as the thought of the arcade bar.

"It's just gonna be me and the boys, though. Nothing else can go wrong with that, right?" he mumbled to himself, and took another drag of his cigarette as he stepped over the train tracks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait. For some reason I struggled with this chapter, but I think I've finally hashed it out properly. Hope y'all enjoy!

Kenny groaned in frustration and lightly pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. He had been working on his math homework for the last hour, and he still didn’t understand any of it. As small bursts of white danced behind his closed lids, he realized how quiet his house was. It was almost too quiet.

Kenny let out a deep sigh and stood up from his cracked desk then poked his head outside his door, trying to remember when he last heard his parents talking. Softly, he padded out in the hallway and crept down to his parents door. It was slightly opened, so he gently poked it open with his toes. His eyes rolled at the sight of his parents passed out on their bare mattress, a glass pipe nestled between them. He shut the door and pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket, then tapped on Kyle’s name.

After a few seconds, Kyle’s voice came through the phone.

“Hey dude, what’s up?”

“Is it alright if I come by your house a little early before the bar? My parents are passed out again.” Kenny mumbled into the phone as he pulled his shoes on.

Kyle sighed in Kenny’s ear. “Yeah, that’s fine. Do you need any money or anything?”

Kenny hesitated as he walked through the living room. A small wad of bills on the filthy coffee table caught his eye. He picked it up and counted through them, asking Kyle how much he would need.

“Uhm, probably about forty bucks. Why?”

The blond glanced down the hallway to make sure his parents were still in their drug coma, and shoved the money in his pocket before saying, “My parents left me about eighty. Anyway, I’m gonna head over now, if that’s fine?”

“Cool, see ya.” Kyle said, and the end tone buzzed.

Kenny grabbed his parka off the couch and took a quick look over of the living room, before quietly exiting the house.

***

Kenny stepped his cigarette butt out on the step as he rang the doorbell to the Broflovski house. He could still smell the fish they had for dinner, and his mouth watered a little bit. After a couple minutes, the door was flung open and he was being blinded by the bright living room lights.

“Hi Kenny! Kyle, Kenny’s here!” a voice shouted.

Ike Broflovski beamed up at Kenny as Kyle came up behind him.

“Hey, that was quick. Let’s go up to my room. I think Stan and I decided to leave in about thirty minutes.” Kyle said, and gently nudged his younger brother out of the doorway.

Kenny smiled at Ike and ruffled his hair, then followed Kyle up to his room.

Kyle shut the bedroom door behind them as Kenny flopped down on the red head’s well made bed.

“So, your parents are all strung out again, huh?” Kyle asked.

Kenny cringed slightly at the pity in his friend’s voice, but gave a short grunt as a response.

Kyle sighed and sat in his desk chair, watching the lanky boy on his bed. After a short while, Kenny sat up.

“So, where’s this bar we’re going to?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood some. He knew the questions Kyle wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go into the details of his parents growing drug problem.

Kyle perked up, visibly grateful for the subject change, “Oh, it’s actually right across the street from the movie theater. So not that far. Maybe we can catch a movie after, too.”

Kenny nodded. It had been a while since the four of them had all gone to the movies together.

A loud ringing made both boys jump, and Kyle quickly yanked his phone from his back pocket.

“It’s Stan,” he said before answering the phone, “Hey Stan…yeah, Kenny’s actually already over at my place…yeah, we’ll head over now…’kay, bye.”

Kyle hung up and Kenny stood as Kyle started lacing his shoes, stretching a bit. He was already feeling more ready for the night. The Broflovski house always helped Kenny destress; it had basically become a second home to him throughout the years. Finally, Kyle was ready, and the boys left the small bedroom.

“Bye, Mom!” Kyle yelled as they walked down the stairs.

“Bye boys, be safe!” Sheila yelled back, and the two walked out of the house and headed towards the Marsh house.

***

The blond glared at his glass of soda as he sat at the bar by himself.

“Just one night without stressing about everything. That’s all I asked for.” he mumbled to himself and took a large swig from his drink. He slammed the glass down and glanced behind his shoulder at his friends. Stan and Kyle were standing next to one of the retro Pac-Man machines, eagerly cheering Wendy on as she expertly navigated the yellow character through the maze.

After Kyle and Kenny went to Stan’s house, Stan dropped the news that he had invited Wendy to come with them, and Kenny’s heart felt like it had been swallowed. Since he wasn’t supposed to have any reason to not want Wendy there, he had been forced to agree with the other two, and had to suffer an awkward car ride with Stan and Wendy holding hands and whispering to each other in the front of Stan’s truck. It didn't help that every once in a while, Wendy would sneak quick looks back at him, guilt etched into her eyes.

As he watched the three of them, Kyle turned around and met Kenny’s angry gaze. He said something to Stan and Wendy, and walked over to Kenny.

“Dude, what’s going on?” the red head asked when he got close enough for Kenny to hear him.

The blond just shook his head, and Kyle rolled his eyes. He grabbed Kenny’s arm and drug him outside.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Kyle glared expectantly at the blond and sharply asked, “What’s your problem, Kenny? You’ve been pissy ever since we left Stan’s house. I’m gonna ask one more time; what is going on with you?”

Kenny swallowed hard and glared at the sidewalk.

“Dude. We’ve been best friends for years. You do realize that I already have an idea of what’s happening, right? I'm not stupid. I noticed how you looked at her this morning, too.” Kyle scowled, and Kenny’s eyes shot up in shock.

“Wh-what do you mean? I uh..How was I looking at her?” the blond stuttered, quickly looking away from Kyle’s accusing gaze.

He noticed his friend’s arms get tighter across his chest before dropping down to his sides in defeat. “How long have you been seeing Wendy?” he finally asked, “And don’t lie to me.”

Kenny’s cheeks flushed a deep red, and he took a couple steps backwards. Finally he looked back up at Kyle and groaned, frustrated by his friend’s accusing stare.

“Over the summer,” he mumbled, falling backward onto the brick wall. He slid down until he was sitting on the cold ground and dug his cigarettes out of his parka pocket. As he lit one, Kyle sat next to him and sighed, patiently waiting for Kenny to start talking again.

Kenny took a long, slow drag, staring at the giant marquee over the movie theater.

“I was working part time at Tweek’s coffee shop, remember? I remember she walked in one morning and was really frazzled about something, so she got her order messed up which just got her even more wired up,” Kenny couldn’t help but smile as he remembered how deeply Wendy had blushed when she realized she had been stumbling over her words, “Finally she got her order out correctly, and when she took her first sip of it she told me that I was the only one who had ever made it exactly how she wanted it. After that, she came in every morning. I started taking my break after making her coffee, and we would just sit at one of the tables and talk. It turned out that we had a lot in common. We started to hang out after I would get off work, and we would take walks around the lake.”

Kenny hesitated. The guilt that was pooled in his stomach was making him anxious, and he took a quick glance at Kyle’s face. His friend was staring up at the sky, his lightly freckled face blank.

Kenny took a deep, shaky breath and continued his story, “During one of those walks, I dunno…something just came over me, and I kissed her. At first she pushed me away, and I felt awful about it. I had already made up my mind to tell Stan and stop talking with her immediately, but then…she kissed me. It was amazing.”

They once again sat in silence for a moment before Kyle sighed and stood up, holding his hand out for Kenny. Surprised, the blond looked up at the other boy. Kyle’s face was still unreadable, but Kenny took his hand anyway and let Kyle pull him up.

After a tense minute, Kyle sighed. “I’m not gonna say anything to Stan. That should be on you. But I also don’t agree with this.”

Kenny let out a relieved sigh, and gave his friend a weak smile. Kyle rolled his eyes and exasperatedly asked, “Now, can we go inside without you glaring at everyone? I just wanted to have a nice night with my friends!”

The blond laughed as he followed Kyle back inside the bar. Stan and Wendy were at the Mortal Kombat machine now, and had apparently not noticed how long the other two had been gone. Kenny sidled up next to Stan and threw down a couple quarters, making Stan and Wendy jump.

Grinning, Kenny loudly announced, “I’ve got next game against whoever wins!”

Stan grinned at him and hunched back over the buttons, and Wendy gave him a curious look. Kenny just winked at her, and Kyle rolled his eyes before saying he would play the next winner.


	4. Chapter 4

“Fuck! I can’t believe how good you are at this game, Kyle. It’s kinda annoying.” Stan huffed and kicked the Street Fighter machine. Kyle laughed, his face lightly flushed by his victory. Kenny grinned and raised his glass of soda at the win, and Wendy gave Kyle a short round of applause, making Kyle’s cheeks darken a bit.

Stan rolled his eyes at his friends and pulled his phone out as he and Kyle sat down at the table with Kenny and Wendy.

“So, are we gonna go watch a movie or what? It’s already almost midnight.” Stan asked, the light of his phone illuminating his face.

Wendy sidled up behind Stan and wrapped her arms lightly around his neck, and Kenny quickly looked away from them. Even though he knew she couldn’t help showing Stan affection, the blond still felt a pang of jealousy whenever she touched him. Kyle gave him a stern look, then turned to the two on the phone.

“What movies are even out right now?” Kyle asked, “I mean, other than those sappy romance movies that dropped last month.”

Wendy sighed dreamily and looked at Kyle, “But that one movie where the girl’s husband finally comes home from war sounds so sweet.” Kenny raised his eyes at her over his cup, and her cheeks slowly turned a light shade of pink as she looked back at Stan’s phone.

Stan looked up at the blond. “What do you think, Kenny?”

Wendy’s brown eyes once again locked with Kenny’s, giving him a pleading look. He sighed, defeated, and said, “I dunno. Why don’t we watch that war movie Wendy was talking about? I heard the main actress is hot.”

Wendy gave him a quick smile then beamed up at Stan, “Can we watch it? Please?”

Stan rolled his eyes and Kyle groaned, and both boys shot nasty looks towards the blond, who merely shrugged and feigned innocent by adding, “What? I’m pretty sure she also gets naked in one scene.”

At that, the other two boys seemed to give in, albeit begrudgingly, and the four of them headed out of the bar towards the movie theater while Wendy began gushing about how excited she was for the movie.

***

Kenny yawned, slightly regretting siding with Wendy on her movie choice. They’d been in the theater for roughly twenty minutes, and he was honestly bored out of his mind. He rested his head on his hand, blankly staring at the screen. The main actress was crying again, and he could hear Wendy sniffling on his left. After another couple of minutes, he yawned again and sat up, leaning to his right and whispered to Kyle, “I’m gonna take a smoke break.”

The redhead nodded, and Kenny noticed a slight sheen in his green eyes. He snickered to himself and stood, softly apologizing to the people shifting to let him through the row of seats.

Once outside the building, Kenny took a deep breath of air and looked around himself. He loved this time of night; everything was quiet. No car noises, no people talking, no fighting…

A light touch on his arm made him jump, and he looked down. Wendy was smiling up at him, her fair cheeks still slightly wet from the movie.

Kenny immediately began looking around them, and Wendy’s smile grew a little.

“No one else is out here,” she giggled, “I made sure to look before I came out.”

The blond’s shoulders loosened, and he smiled back at her. She was gorgeous at nighttime, he thought to himself. He took one more quick scan of the area around them, then quickly bent down and gave her a quick kiss.

Wendy stepped back from it after a second, and sighed to herself. After seeing Kenny’s sudden look of guilt, she raised her finger to his mouth and shushed him, “It’s fine, Kenny. I’m just glad to know you aren’t mad at me anymore.”

Kenny groaned and covered his face.

“I was never mad at you. I just didn’t know how to interact with you without it being weird, and Stan kinda just told us without warning that he’d even invited you in the first place, and then Kyle kept asking questions…” he quickly mumbled between his fingers, feeling slightly ashamed of himself.

Another light touch on his hands made him uncover his face. Wendy had a strange look in her eyes, and Kenny squeezed her hands. When she looked up at him, he noticed she looked really guilty.

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly, and she quickly let go of his hands. Confused and not sure what to do, he finally pulled his cigarettes out and put one between his lips as he waited for her to speak.

As he lit the cigarette, she pulled out her phone and almost frantically swiped through it. After a moment, she groaned and frustratedly thrust her phone in Kenny’s face. He blinked a couple times as the texts she was showing him stopped swimming in his eyes, and read them as she scowled, “Stan told me he had asked you guys days ago. I even asked him if you or Kyle minded if I came along. Honestly, I’d hoped that one of you would say something because I really didn’t want to come along and ruin your guy night.”

Kenny finished reading the texts and frowned, taking a deep drag of his cigarette as he lowered her phone from his face. She angrily shoved her phone back into her pocket and started pacing.

“I can’t believe him!” She hissed, and Kenny just nodded and let her fume in silence.

Finally, she stopped and looked at him, tears welling in her eyes, and mumbled, “I’m so sorry for making this night hard for you.”

Kenny quickly started shaking his head and pulled her into his chest, taking his cigarette butt and throwing it on the sidewalk away from her. She shuddered slightly against him, and he kept a wary eye on the door to the theater to ensure they wouldn’t get snuck up on by anyone they knew. He softly stroked her hair as she sniffled, then pushed her out at arms length and looked into her eyes.

“It’s okay. Trust me, you’ve done nothing wrong tonight. If anything, I’ve just been a fucking asshole almost all night, so really you should be mad at me.” He chuckled, and she gave him a small, watery smile.

Suddenly, the doors opened and they expertly stepped away from each other as a figure walked out. As the doors shut and snuffed out the light behind them, the two watched as a frizzy blonde marched out towards them.

“Just what the hell are the two of you doing?!” Bebe snarled at them as she got closer.

“Bebe! What are you doing here?” Wendy exclaimed, voicing the shock that her and Kenny had at seeing her.

Bebe stopped in front of the two guilty teens, glaring hard at them and snapped, “I was trying to watch the movie, but the two of you snuck out here together about fifteen minutes ago and I saw Stan,” she paused and shot an accusing glare at Wendy, who cowered slightly, “looking for you. So of course I had to come find you dumbasses first before he did. You’re welcome.” She folded her arms over her chest in a huff, and Kenny looked down at the cracked sidewalk.

“Wait, how did you know we were coming to this movie?” Wendy demanded, and Kenny glanced at her.

Bebe just rolled her eyes. “I’m obviously here because I’m on a date with Clyde. I’m not stalking you, dummy.”

Wendy seemed to deflate slightly, and hung her head, mumbling a soft apology towards her friend.

“So…when exactly did you figure it out, Bebe?” Kenny asked, annoyance slipping into his tone. Wendy’s head snapped up at him, and he noticed the sudden realization on her face that she hadn’t yet told him about Bebe knowing about them.

“Wendy told me about a month ago.”

Kenny nodded, and Wendy grimaced at her friend before looking back at Kenny, “I’m so sorry. I was gonna tell you, cos she told me about what happened with the note today at school and how she basically let on that she knew-“

“It’s fine. Kyle found out tonight too.” Kenny interrupted, and Wendy and Bebe both gave him a shocked look. The light from the doors blinded them again, and Kenny sighed, “Speak of the devil.”

Kyle walked out, a frantic look on his face. “What the hell are all of you doing out here? You left ages ago!”

The blond walked over to Kyle, giving him a wide, fake smile, saying “Wendy and Bebe managed to leave the restroom at the same time, and walked out here to chat for a second. I was finishing up my cigarette and started talking to them and we all just lost track of time.”

Kyle’s eyebrows furrowed in suspicion, but let Kenny put his arm around his shoulder and lead him back into the lobby. The girls followed behind them, and as they walked through the doors Kenny saw Stan talking to a pretty blonde girl at the concessions counter. Kenny led the other three to him, and the black haired teen quickly straightened up and away from the girl as they approached.

“There you guys are. What the hell happened?” he said, and Kenny noticed the other girl quickly move away from them and began to fiddle with the popcorn machine.

Tearing his eyes away from her, he gave the same fake smile to Stan and smoothly spoke up before anyone else could say anything and repeated the same story he had told Kyle. When mentioned Bebe's date, Stan snickered loudly and looked around Kenny to give the girl an incredulous look.

“Clyde? Really? You couldn’t do any better than that douchebag?” Stan guffawed, and Bebe’s jaw set as she glared at him.

“I’ll text you later, Wendy.” She muttered, then indignantly walked off towards the theater.

Stan shook his head as Wendy shuffled up towards him and gave him a small peck on the cheek and shakily said “Sorry for making you worry, babe.” He kissed her back and Kenny looked towards the blonde behind the counter, who was watching the two with envy drawn across her face.

“Let’s go finish the movie,” Kyle awkwardly suggested as he looked back and forth between the kissing couple and Kenny, “We still have about…thirty minutes of it left.”

The couple broke apart and nodded, but Kenny hesitated, “I’m just gonna grab a drink real quick. I’ll meet you guys in there.” He watched the three of them walk towards the theater, then turned towards the counter girl Stan had been talking to.

He vaguely recognized her from school, but couldn’t remember if she was in their grade or a grade below them. The conversation he had with Stan earlier came into his mind, and he watched as the girl’s eyes followed Stan and Wendy. She noticed him watching her and blushed a deep red as she came towards him, and squeaked out a quick greeting before asking him what he wanted.

“Just a lemonade would be fine,” he murmured, and placed a crumpled bill on the counter. She returned quickly with his cup and picked the bill up.

“Y-you’re Kenny McCormick, right?” she stuttered, and he nodded as he slid a straw into the lid.

She beamed at him, and gushed, “My friends and I all think you’re really hot! Would you wanna do something sometime?”

He sipped on his drink and looked back at her before shaking his head. “Sorry, I’m not really looking to date anyone. Besides, it looked like you’re more interested in my friend, anyway. Thanks for the drink. Have a good rest of your night.”

She glared at him, and he smiled back before following his friends into the theater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally added more drama! Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Pale, thin fingers hesitated on the doorknob that belonged to the front door of the McCormick house. It was Monday morning, and Kenny’s parents had blown his phone up the whole weekend trying to find out where their money had gone, not really caring exactly where their son was.

Kenny tried his best to calm his breathing, small clouds of vapor puffing through his lips as he tried not to choke on every breath he took in. He was straining to hear even the slightest bit of noise within the house to figure out if his parents were awake or not yet, but he couldn’t hear anything. As he inhaled deeply, he slowly turned the knob and cracked the door open.

“Sit. Down. Now.”

Small white stars dotted Kenny’s vision at the sound of his dad’s low voice, and he looked up to see his dad sitting on the busted couch, glaring at him. His mom was on the recliner, her face blank. Both of them had beers in their hands, even though it was barely seven in the morning.

The blond slowly entered the house and shut the door behind him, his body feeling like it had been filled with a thousand pounds of lead, then made his way to the faded lawn chair that had been set up across from his dad. As he sat down, he noticed Karen staring at him from the hallway, fear etched across her little face. A pang of guilt shot through Kenny’s chest, but he knew he couldn’t show any emotion towards her because their parents would only turn on her next if he did.

Stuart took a long swig of his beer, his eyes never moving from Kenny’s face, then slammed it down on the coffee table between him and his son, making the blond boy jump. With a low growl he asked, “Where the fuck is our money? And don’t tell me you didn’t take it, ‘cause I sure as shit know it was you.”

A bead of sweat rolled down Kenny’s neck and he swallowed hard, his mouth having gone dry. He glanced at his mom, who still had a look of complete disregard on her face, and knew she wasn’t going to help him this time. He looked back at his dad and shakily said, “Y-yeah, I took it. I needed some time with my friends, and-and you two were passed out again, so I…took it…”

The scowl on Stuart’s face grew darker as Kenny’s sentence drifted off. Slowly he stood up, gesturing for Kenny to do the same. The boy’s body was practically vibrating from the adrenaline rushing through it, and he had a hard time standing and keeping his legs from giving out under him. Stuart rounded the coffee table and got barely an inch away from Kenny’s face and he yelled, “You’re going to get my fucking money back to me before the end of the goddamn week, you hear me boy?!”

Kenny nodded his head quickly, and began to turn away from his dad. Before he could fully turn away, Stuart grabbed the front of his parka and swiftly backhanded him across his face.

“Did I fucking say you could move?” Stuart yelled as the vision in Kenny’s right eye went foggy. Through gritted teeth, Kenny mumbled a low “No” as Stuart pushed him away. As he staggered backwards, he held his right cheek and looked up into his dad’s red face.

Neither of them moved for a while and they just glared at each other. Kenny’s face was burning, but the fog over his eye was slowly starting to fade. Finally, Carol stood up and told Stuart to stop messing around. She turned to Kenny, her green eyes glossed over from the drinks, and pointed a dirty finger in his face. “Get your dad’s money, and no leaving the house for the rest of the week.” she said curtly, then she and Stuart went back to their room, slamming the door shut behind them.

Karen ran into the living room as soon as the door shut, wrapping her arms around her brother as his legs finally gave out from under him. She sat him on the floor and moved his hand away from his face, gasping as she saw the angry bruise already forming. “Oh, Kenny. I’m so sorry!” she said, tears forming in her eyes. Kenny pulled her into a hug, and they both sat in the floor as they listened to their parents start screaming at each other once again.

As Karen’s sniffles finally quieted, Kenny stood them both up and he smiled warmly at her as he told her to finish getting ready for school. She nodded and scampered off into her bedroom. Sighing, Kenny pulled his phone out. He had felt it go off a few times during the confrontation with his dad, and he groaned when he saw what time it was. He and Karen were definitely going to miss their first class, and Stan had texted him saying he and the gang had to leave him before they were late, too.

His cheek throbbed as he closed his eyes for a second, then opened up his messages again.

‘Hey, don’t freak out when you see me today. Had a bit of a run in with the old man.’

He sent the message just as Karen softly tugged on his arm, signaling she was ready. Her dirty backpack was flung over her left shoulder, the straps on it held together with silver tape. He gave her another smile, ignoring the throbbing in his face as he did, and they walked out of the house.  
  
  


***  
  


“Late again, Mr. McCormick?”

Kenny scowled at the principal as he and Karen walked into the school. The portly man opened his mouth again, but shut it quickly once he noticed the deep bruise on the blond’s face. He cleared his throat, embarrassed, and waved the two along.

“Hurry to class, Karen. If your teacher has a problem with it, tell them to talk to me, okay?” he said to his sister, and she nodded before quickly heading towards the freshmen hall. He watched her until she was completely out of sight, then headed the opposite way towards his own class.

All the students in the class turned to watch him as he entered, and he gave a sheepish smile to Wendy, who’s face paled when she saw him.

“Kenny, would you care to explain why you’re almost an hour late to my class?” Mrs. Anderson’s shrill voice sounded beside him, and he looked up at the tall, skinny woman. Her eyes narrowed as she got a good look at his face, and with a small _tsk!_ She said, “Go on to your desk, then.”

Kenny sat down next to Wendy, who avoided looking at him for too long. As their teacher turned back towards the whiteboard she was writing on, Kenny pulled his phone out and quickly tapped out a text.

‘Sorry I didn’t warn you better. Tbh I haven’t even looked at myself yet.’

Wendy’s phone lightly buzzed in her pocket, and he watched her glance at him before swiftly pulling it out and feverishly tapping a response. Just as she slid it back in her pocket, his phone vibrated in his hand.

‘It’s not that bad, just shocking’

Kenny smiled to himself, knowing she was lying to make him feel better. He put his phone back and looked at the board as the teacher droned on about the project the class had to do at the end of the semester. Yawning, he slowly looked around at the other students when his heart skipped a beat. Blonde hair was glistening in the sun coming from the window, and the girl it belonged to looked familiar. She was looking out of the window so Kenny couldn’t get a good look at her face, but just as he was about to turn back around she looked straight at him and flushed.

“Mr. McCormick, first you are late to my class and now you can’t even be bothered to pay attention?” Mrs. Anderson raised her voice and Kenny’s head whipped back towards the front of the classroom. The other students tittered amongst themselves as Wendy gave him a stern look, and he smiled apologetically.

“Sorry, ma’am,” he said almost cheekily, and with a stern look Mrs. Anderson once again turned to the whiteboard. His mind racing, he pulled his phone out once again, and typed out a short message to Kyle, telling him to meet at the front of the cafeteria during lunch. After one more look at the girl, he pressed send and leaned back in his seat, internally chuckling to himself.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Hope you enjoy!

Kenny strained his neck to look over the heads of the other students rushing into the cafeteria, looking for Kyle’s curly red hair. Finally, he found the red head about to walk past him and he reached out, grabbing the collar of Kyle’s black hoodie. With a yelp, Kyle jerked his head around, his face slightly paled.

Snickering, Kenny let his friend go as the other boy glared and yanked his hoodie back down.

“The hell was that for?!” Kyle snapped at the still chuckling blond as they followed the last few students into the cafeteria.

Kenny glanced at Kyle and pulled his phone out of his pocket, saying “Dude, I texted you during first period saying I wanted to talk to you.”

The red head rolled his eyes. “You know I don’t check my phone in class anymore.” he sighed as he grabbed a tray, “Ever since fourth grade when Garrison took my phone for a week and my mom flipped her shit, I don’t look at my phone during classes. I don’t need to deal with that ever again.”

Kenny nodded, remembering how their teacher had taunted Kyle for the entire week after the young boy tried showing another classmate a funny picture.

“So…” Kyle paused, and Kenny watched as his friend’s eyes flicked from the burnt pizza in front of them to Kenny’s cheek, “What happened with your parents this morning?”

The blond sighed as they finally sat down at their usual table close to the only window in the cafeteria. He was getting tired of the questions about his face. It wasn’t like it was the first time he’d come to school with bruises from his crazy parents. Kenny reached across the table and grabbed Kyle’s fruit cup, taking his time with his answer.

“Well, I have to figure out how to quickly get eighty dollars before Friday or my dad might kill me.” He grumbled as he slowly peeled the foil off the fruit cup.

Kyle nodded and chewed on his pizza, waiting for Kenny to continue.

Kenny gulped down the fruit medley, grimacing at the warmth of the fruit, then quickly slapped the empty plastic on the table.

He folded his hands under his chin and gave Kyle a small smirk, before loudly whispering, “I have an idea of what to do with my Wendy problem. You remember when we went to that movie? And we found Stan inside chatting with some blonde girl?”

Kenny didn’t wait for Kyle to answer, instead leaning closer to him and saying, “She’s in my class.”

The red head stared blankly at Kenny, confusion clouding his green eyes. Sighing again, Kenny launched into a quick recap of the weird conversation he’d had with Stan that Friday. Kyle’s eyes narrowed as he went back to eating his pizza, before finally interrupting Kenny as he got to the part where Stan had called him lucky.

“You don’t think Stan would cheat on Wendy? I mean…I dunno, Kenny. This seems weird. I’ll admit Stan has been acting strange lately, but I don’t think he would cheat. Then again, I didn’t think Wendy would cheat, either, but clearly I was wrong about that.” Kyle said, giving Kenny a sharp look.

The snake in Kenny’s stomach squirmed, making the fruit he’d eaten roll. He fiercely shoved his feelings away and opened his mouth to continue with his story, but Kyle interrupted again.

“Look dude, I’m your best friend and all, but I’m also Stan’s friend. I really don’t wanna be in the middle of this. I’m sorry, but you really need to figure this out on your own. Actually, if you want me to be completely honest, I think you and Wendy need to just stop seeing each other. It’s not right to screw your friend over.” he said, making Kenny’s heart sink.

As Kyle stood up and said bye, Kenny just watched him, his chest feeling like it was caving in on itself.

The bell rang, signaling that the lunch period was over, but Kenny just stayed at his table. He mindlessly watched as the cafeteria emptied just to fill back up with the next round of students, only snapping out of his defeated stupor when he caught a glimpse of a pastel pink coat.

Wendy walked past him, only about ten feet away from where he sat, firmly holding on to Stan’s hand. They murmured to each other like they were the only ones in the cafeteria, and he watched as Stan would absentmindedly play with her fingers. His face was flushed pink, and his dark eyes were shining. Wendy would giggle every few seconds, hiding her lips every time she did.

Once they disappeared through the door leading to the kitchen, Kenny stood and exited the cafeteria.

***

Kenny’s phone buzzed for the tenth time but he just ignored it. He pulled out a third cigarette and shoved it between his lips. Once it was lit, he took a deep drag and looked at the sky. His phone buzzed again, and he grimaced and finally pulled it out of his pocket.

He had three texts from Stan, two from Cartman, one from Kyle, and four from Wendy. The most recent one was from Karen. The ones from his friends were mainly asking where he’d gone after lunch, and Karen asked him if he thought it would be okay for her to go home that afternoon. He quickly typed out a response, telling her to ask their parents to stay at a friend’s house, knowing his parents wouldn’t care. She quickly replied an “ok” and he shoved the phone back in his pocket as he leaned back against the brick wall.

“What the fuck are you doing out here?”

The blond jumped at the sudden voice and scowled when he heard soft laughter. A brunette girl with light brown highlights rounded the corner, and he blinked at how familiar she looked.

She laughed again and pushed a lock of hair over her shoulder before drawling out, “What’s the matter, Ken, forget me already?”

Kenny’s eyes widened as memories of a Jonas Brothers concert and TGI Friday’s flooded his mind. He pushed himself off the wall as the girl smiled at him. “T…Tammy? Tammy Warner?” he asked, incredulous.

Tammy’s grin got bigger and she threw her arms around his lanky body. He slowly returned the hug, noticing a faint scent of pot surrounding the girl. After a quick moment she pulled back. “It’s been a long time, Ken! How’ve ya been?” she excitedly.

“I’ve been good. What about you? Where the hell have you been?” Kenny asked, holding out his pack of cigarettes. Tammy gratefully took one and he lit it for her, then they both leaned against the wall.

She laughed around the cigarette in her lips and said, “First of all, tell me why you’re moping around behind the gym. Then I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to.”

Kenny rolled his eyes before asking, “D’you want the long version or the short version?”

Tammy shrugged, and he sighed before launching into his problems, being sure to avoid saying the names of everyone involved. The brunette nodded every once in a while, and when he finished, she flicked her cigarette butt away and gave him a quick punch to the shoulder.

Kenny flinched away from her and glared, rubbing his arm. “What the hell was that for?!” he shouted, and she rolled her brown eyes.

“Ken, you’re a good guy,” she sighed, “but you’re real dumb sometimes. You know that?”

Kenny felt his eyes narrow at the insults, but before he could say anything she shushed him.

Looking directly into his icy eyes, she softly said, “You already know what you need to do, Ken.”

The air felt like it had been squeezed out of Kenny’s lungs, and suddenly he grabbed Tammy’s arm and crashed his lips onto hers. She lightly threw her arms around his neck, and he realized she tasted like weed and cigarettes. He found himself thinking about how different it was to kissing Wendy, who tasted like strawberry chapstick. To keep the thoughts of Wendy away, he dug his fingers into Tammy’s waist, pulling her closer and deepening their kiss. Finally, they broke apart, both of them breathing heavily.

Suddenly, Kenny felt eyes boring into his body, and he turned to see Wendy, who had just walked out of the back door to the gym. The color drained from his face, and he quickly pulled himself away from Tammy, feeling disgusted in himself.

He took a step towards the pale girl, who had started shaking, but Wendy flinched away and yanked the door open. With one last look back at the blond, tears started falling from her face as she briskly walked back into the gym.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really big twist that I hadn't originally planned on, but I hope y'all enjoy it. Don't be too mad at me ^^


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